Zephyr
by I Forget
Summary: Desperately longing for school unity, Dumbledore uses an old debt to gain the Centaurs aid. Their 'help' is a young girl of a race unknown even to Hagrid. A girl who had never seen humans before. How can she help form unity, especially between Hry & Drco?


Hello! This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fic, and I hope you enjoy reading it. This chapter has many purposes, one of which is to give you an understanding of what my main character is. Dumbledore (and possibly Voldie) will be in the next chapter. Zephyr will be my main character, but Draco and Harry will be key characters. The direction their relationship goes (friends or more) is entirely up to you. Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer; Zephyr and the Latsyrcs are mine, please don't use them without my permission. I think you know what I don't own, so I'm not going to list them. Too lazy.

History of Zephyr

Long ago--far past any record--back when people lived in a time of peace that had never known violence, there had lived a unique group of creatures known as Latsyrcs. The Latsyrc's uniqueness did not come from their lifestyles for they were very much alike to those who lived around them; indeed, the uniqueness was in the _other _way they were alike. Unlike every other group whom had their own physical characteristics unique only to them, the Latsyrc's uniqueness came from how they had something from _many _races. They had the same general shape as humans, but were smaller, typically short, thin and almost frail looking by human standards-almost like children. The fragile looks were quite deceiving, as while they may be weak physically, their mental abilities more than made up for it. Many could even use magic, to different extents.

They excreted the innocence and purity of a Unicorn, had the speed and sense of smell of a Werewolf, claws and night vision similar to the Werecats, wings and weather magic of a Fairy, sense of touch and the amazing jumping abilities of the Giant Spiders, grace and hypnotic gaze of the Vampires, the skin tone and a trace of the same beauty as Veela, the great swimming abilities and the ability of breathing underwater as the Mere-folk, wisdom and learning capabilities as the Centaurs, healing magic and vision of a Phoenix, and the traits of a group that had left the world.

Though it is not known why, the Elves had all but left the world, only a few remaining behind for reasons they would not say. The Latsyrcs had many of their abilities though; they had the same hair that always felt softer than the best silks man could find, soft yet firm skin that human women lusted after, eyes that one could easily get lost in, voices that could sound like nature or sing a song so beautiful that it could bring tears of sorrow or joy from the listener, a mind quick to learn any form of music or any skill, hunting and tracking skills no mere human could ever hope to achieve, the natural gift of dancing, the rare ability to speak to any creature, and the dramatic, yet gentle, trait that made them then best at telling stories. Of all this though, the most unique thing about them was also the one they strived to keep a secret, the ability to talk to the spirits of the wind, and to control the wind sprites.

The Latsyrc's had many advantages over those beings they dwelt among, but what was less known where the disadvantages they sported. None of the other races had ever seen one of the Latsyrc's get ill, so it was assumed that the beings would not know what sickness was like, but that wasn't true; while it is true that they don't get sick like other races, they knew better than most what illness is like as every year at the stroke of midnight on the anniversary of the day of their birth they went through a change; the changes their bodies go through take a week to finish; during this time they become violently ill and are helpless, completely at the mercy of whomever's around them. If there was no one around... the Latsyrc would be lost. They were extremely sensitive to touch, and as a result to talking with the wind spirits their hearing was quite sensitive as well. While they could cry, they had to do it cautiously as crying was extremely dangerous to them. They needed to feel a sad emotion in order to cry, and if they weren't careful and no one was around, they could get lost in the emotion and cry themselves to death. They had huge hearts and powerful empathy, which often made them live the nightmares of others. While adults were welcomed wherever they went, the other kids--who were jealous of their abilities--usually shunned the children. In any other race this would be enough to plant the seeds of bitterness and resentment, but this was not so with the Latsyrcs. Because of their empathy they knew what the other children were feeling, and their compassion lead them away from feelings of anger and hate and towards understanding and acceptance... often resulting in loneliness.

The Latsyrc's were known as a patient race--a result of their empathy--and it was generally assumed that they were incapable of anger and hate. This was not true. Latsyrcs--especially the young ones--can and did get angry. It happened quite often amongst the children and rarely among the adults. With the children it was easily taken care of by adults who knew how to prevent themselves from getting caught up in the emotion. But when an adult got angry... that was a different situation entirely. Of all emotions, anger is the hardest to control. Because of their empathy, when two or more Latsyrcs became angry their anger fed each other, quickly bringing them into a state of killing rage. Thankfully nothing had ever resulted from the rage as the Latsyrcs always became frightened by the intensity of the emotion and the desire to kill, and their fear was always enough to free them of it. This fear is what had made the peace possible. Until one day, something happened that changed all of that.

A human boy had wanted to explore the woods surrounding Vampires Grove at night, something that his parents had wisely forbidden, knowing the Vampires natural need for blood and that they hunted at night. Like any child his age he didn't react well to being denied what he wanted and--figuring that what his parents didn't know wouldn't earn punishment--he snuck out of his home late at night. A friend of his--a young Centaur--accompanied him, letting him ride on his back. They explored the forest for hours, laughing the whole time about how silly the adults fear of this place was, until just an hour before dawn when they were attacked. The human was badly wounded. The Centaur was killed, drained of life by the Vampire. The Vampire would have gone home unharmed, if he had kept track of the time. He didn't realize the danger he was in until after he had drunken his fill, by then it was too late. He had only just managed to stand when the first rays of dawn entered the clearing. His scream of agony was heard by all and silenced all the creatures living in the forest. If the human had been conscious, he might have seen the dust--all that remained of the Vampire--land in his wounds and mix with his friends blood and his own. He may even have had the sense to be afraid. You should never mix the blood of the dead with a Vampire's Dust in a living vessel, for if you did, terrible things would happen.

The boy and Centaur where found late that afternoon by a search party of humans and Centaurs. Many Centaurs resented the fact that a Human had led one of their young to his death, and friendship between the two races was lost, each blaming the other for what happened. It may have even led to the first feud, if it hadn't been for the boy. Because of the dead blood in his veins, his wounds refused to heal. His temperature was steadily rising, foam flowed continuously from his mouth, and all over his body painful boils formed, strange boils that exploded, releasing small clouds of dark blue dust into the air. The illness was unknown and there seemed to be no cure, so the humans turned to the Phoenixes for help. The Phoenixes were happy to try, but not even their tears were enough to help him. The only blessing in the situation was in the fact that the boy never woke, never knew the pain his body was in. Three days later the boy was dead. This saddened the Humans, but their sorrow soon turned to horror when those who had come into contact with the boy fell ill themselves. More and more creatures became ill as what became known as the Blue Dust Plague spread, until only the Latsyrcs remained immune.

Desperate for a cure, the races turned to the Latsyrcs for aid. Full of compassion for the races, the Latsyrcs sent their most powerful healer to help. She tried her best, but none of her healing attempts worked. This enraged the Humans, and in their anger they killed her. When word of this reached the Latsyrcs they were shocked, but their shock quickly turned to rage. This time there was no fear powerful enough to stop it and they attacked the humans. They used their magic and telekinesis to turn their weapons against them. They used their empathy to turn them against each other. They used their hunting skills to set death traps. The other races soon chose sides. Werewolves, Werecats, Giant Spiders, and Mere Folk choosing to side with the humans. Unicorns, Phoenixes, Fairies, and Centaurs siding with the Latsyrcs.

Had their rage not blinded them so, the races may have stopped the fighting when the Unicorns entered the fray. The Unicorns were good, pure creatures. Children of all races had found them to be extremely difficult to catch during their games; and blood crazed Vampires discovered them to be almost impossible to kill. Were it not for the bloodlust controlling their minds, they may even have paused in their killing to wonder why these creatures had suddenly become easy targets to hit. They may even have questioned why the Unicorns, one of the most gentle races, were now acting so savagely. When the human killed the Latsyrc healer, the Unicorns went into shock. Their shock left them wide open to the Latsyrc's anger and they were swept away, trapped in the tidal wave of the Latsyrc's all consuming rage. The reason Unicorns are so hard to catch or kill is because of their knowledge of the Forrest, their speed, and the aid of the life around them. Navigating through Forrest with or without using their speed requires logic, as does using their magic to request aid from their surroundings. Lost in a blind, killing rage it is impossible to think clearly. They made easy prey.

The Veela and Vampires did not get involved, choosing instead to find a way to stop the Blue Dust Plague from spreading. They did find a way, but none of them liked it. The only way they could see was to kill the carriers before they could produce the Dust. And that's what they did, using the war to conceal their actions. The plan worked, but still the war continued, showing no sign of ending without the extinction of more than one race. The Vampires and Veelas wanted the fighting to stop and worked together to bring the war to an end. They worked together, the Veela danced and sung their song to distract the races, while the Vampires used the distraction to take down the leaders. With no one to lead them, the fighting finally ceased, but it was too late, the damage had been done. Only a few hundred Werewolves remained, the Werecat tribe had even less. The Spider Army had numbered only fifty. The lakes had been poisoned early in the war, forcing the Merefolk who hadn't died to the poison to retreat; it was unknown how many of them remained in the world. The Unicorns, Phoenixes, and Fairies had lost so many lives that it was unclear if they could ever recover. Both the Centaurs and Humans had suffered from heavy losses, both too stubborn to forgive they agreed to a truce, but never had they become friends again. Of all the races, it was the Latsyrcs who suffered the most. When their rage faded they had nothing to protect them from the grief around them. All of the remaining adults cried to death because of it, leaving only teenagers and children behind.

The Vampires and Veela, satisfied with having stopped the Plague, left the races. The Veela didn't want to distract the races as they rebuilt or moved on, and the Vampires didn't want to risk depleting the remaining numbers when they felt the need to satisfy their thirst. Both thought that with the destruction of the Blue Dust Plague and the war ended, peace would return to the land. None realized that the reign of death over the land had barely just begun.

Emotion is a strange thing. It can take many different forms and reveal itself in many different ways. But what few realize is that--like a virus--it can be contagious, and very, very dangerous. The war between the Humans and the Latsyrcs had been the first to occur on the land, sadly, many followed. Many negative emotions had been generated by that battle. The emotions spread over the earth like a cloud, poisoning all the hearts and minds it touched with its darkness. The poison acted slowly, steadily growing stronger as it was passed down through each generation. Creatures that had once been of the light gradually turned to the dark. Slowly, races who had been close friends began drifting apart. Brother turned against brother. Things that had once been cause for friendly banter now brought feuds and eventually wars. Many generations later referred to these dark times as the great wars. But to those who lived them, who lived through the nightmare of seeing allies, friends and family die at the hands of people who had once been considered family; to those generations who grew up and died knowing of nothing other than violence and dead hope; to the young mothers who struggled futilely to bring back their young from the land of the dead after they got in the way of a stray weapon; to the elders who hadn't even turned ten when the feuding began and could still sometimes recall dreams of peaceful times; to the parents who had to bury their young and children left caring for their younger siblings when parents did not return home; to all these creatures and more, there was nothing great about these wars. To them, it was simply the war.

Now in the beginning there was only one group of elves, they all lived in peace and harmony amongst each other and the races around them. They all loved living where they did, in a deep valley rich with life and the gentle waterfalls pouring into a deep pool at the end. It was a beautiful summer day and everyone was by the pool cooling off or absorbing the warmth. People laughed as jokes were told, bets were made as young men challenged each other to diving competitions, the place was abuzz with the friendly chatter when all noise suddenly stopped. Silence blanketed the peaceful scene as eyes scanned the area for the few elves gifted with the Sight. One hundred faces in the crown had their eyes squeezed tightly shut, a look of intense concentration on their faces. Their eyes snapped open at the same time. Still in synch, they rose and walked quickly to their homes. They emerged shortly, all wearing traveling leathers with a pack strapped to their backs and carrying a bulging saddle bag in each hand. As one, they raised their fingers to their mouths and whistled. Off in the distance answering neighs could be heard, their horses were coming. They used this time to gather their saddles and bridles. The sound of hoof beats could now be heard faintly and were steadily getting louder. Friends and family members of the hundred darted into homes, as horses were equipped for the journey. The loved ones of the hundred returned. Fierce hugs were exchanged and memory jewels were magically pressed into the pendants hanging from the hundreds necks. Love, tears, and farewells shined in everyone's eyes as the hundred took on a determined air and mounted, speeding the steeds on the moment they touched the saddle. They elves watched the riders backs until not even their keen eyes could see the dust of the passage, then they too assumed a determined air as they headed to their homes. It was time to leave the world of man.

The elves left the valley which they so loved, offering no explanation to any who asked. They soon missed those who had remained behind, and their longing to see their loved ones again overcame their senses, causing them to return much sooner than had been instructed. When they returned they were horrified at seeing the scorched remains of what had once been their peaceful valley, their home. They soon learned that there were three wars being fought in three different parts of the world, and decided to split up into three groups to stop it. They succeeded, but the darkness had changed them. They would now forever remain split in three. The hundred had Seen all this, but could do nothing to stop it. They had a bigger part to play.

When the Latsyrc healer had been killed, the wind sprites had known and told the wind Spirits. The Spirits, fearing what may come, had gone to the Latsyrc village and called all the Latsyrcs younger than eighteen to the Crystal Caves. Those too young to walk were carried. When they were all there the Spirits instructed them all to lie down. The Spirits and Sprites then combined their power to send them all into a deep sleep. Their task complete, they sealed the cave behind a frozen waterfall, leaving the children protected inside. The Spirits knew that the children couldn't survive out in the world yet, they couldn't handle the grief, so they left them there, protected by their enchanted sleep.

Time passed by and the memory of the war faded. The number of Unicorns, Phoenixes, Fairies, Werewolves, Werecats and Spiders grew, but never did recover from the losses caused by the war. They were still in the world, but their numbers remained small when compared to the masses they had been before the war. For a time the numbers of the Vampires, Veela, and Mere-folk thrived, but then the cruelty within Humans revealed itself again. The Humans became jealous of the Veelas beauty and began hunting them. The Veela Hunt became a great sport and soon the Veela were in danger of extinction. The Veela tried to fight back, but they were out powered and out maneuvered by the Humans, who could reproduce much faster than Veela. When the Vampires learned of this they were enraged and began feeding on the hunters. The Humans soon learned to fear the night and the dark woods. The Veela Hunt was called off. With the woods unsafe for humans, and winter on its way, the people soon began to feel desperate for meat. They turned to the Sea, depending on the fish to supply them with the much-needed meat. They created massive nets, designed to be dragged along the bottom of the sea by great ships. The nets worked well, but they caught multitudes of Mere-folk as well, resulting in their death. When the leader of the Mere-tribes heard of this, he led his people in war against the human sailors. He sent mere-folk to hide amongst deadly cliffs, calling for help in Human or luring sailors with song, leading many men to their deaths on the cliffs. The rest of his people he led to the ships, instructing them to cut the nets. The humans eventually learned to block their ears with wax near the cliffs, and quicker ways of fishing that didn't harm the mere-folk, but the damage had already been done. The Centaurs had known of this happening, but their numbers had been too few for them to risk getting involved. They remembered it though, and while other races formed truces and even friendships with the Humans, the Centaurs couldn't forgive and the grudge was never released.

More time passed and--aside from a few fights--the world was living in a time of peace once again. The Spirits deemed it safe enough to awaken the Latsyrc children. But they had a problem. The Latsyrcs had been gone from the world for so long that none of the races knew much about them, so who would raise the children? Who would teach them how to survive in this New World? The Spirits were at a loss, but the Sprites had an idea. They told the Spirits that there were still some Elves remaining in the world, living in secret. The Elves were immortal, surely they would know plenty about Latsyrcs. The Sprites led the Spirits to the woods where the Elvin Folk lived. The Elves, hating the thought of life being wasted, agreed to raise the children. Years passed. Some of the Latsyrcs left the woods to see the rest of the world. Most chose to stay. One family settled in a place called Swift Wind Forrest, and this is where the beginning of Zephyr's journey takes place.

ABCDEFGTHANKS FOR READING PLZ REVIEW ME.


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